I'm a spindle turner trying to teach myself about bowls. Read some books, watched countless videos, scored a Thompson bowl gouge and a Hunter carbide tool... now I needed some wood.
While at the local Woodcraft store, I picked up a 6x6x2 inch blank of osage orange that had a wax coating on it. This was back in December. It sat in my shop until 3 weeks ago when I decided to toss it on a faceplate and have at it.
I got the bottom and outside turned and left it on the lathe. When I got back to it yesterday, the partially turned bowl had developed cracks all around it. While trying to turn the inside I got a nasty catch and the bowl self destructed along one of the cracks.
So, it's obvious that they wax coat these blanks to keep them from drying out and cracking. What then is a turner supposed to do with them? What's the point of buying an expensive blank if it's going to come apart on you?